This nonprofit has operated a community farm for fifteen years and recently acquired ownership of an adjacent former church, while also currently exploring acquiring several adjoining city-owned lots. The farm services the neighboring community, including a large population of Nepalese immigrants. There is a strong desire to utilize the existing culture here to establish a community center to further expand operations and benefit an even larger portion of the historically disinvested neighborhood. 

Although it was in poor condition, the nonprofit’s instinct was to save the former church via extensive rehabilitation. After discussions with the design team, all parties recognized it was cost prohibitive to do so. 

A new facility offering storage solutions, a resource for community engagement, education, and potential job incubation is exactly the type of long-term growth they seek with their community programs. 

The project would come to be the largest such investment in the neighborhood in decades.

During the design process, the client and the design team sought input from current farmers, neighbors, community leadership, and neighborhood associations in a series of community engagement charettes to inform the project program and give the neighborhood a voice in this transformative project. The nonprofit wanted to maximize the potential uses of the building and ensure that everyone in the surrounding neighborhood would feel engaged in the process and welcome at the Farm.

The new facility offers meeting and program spaces designed to be safe and inclusive. The Edible Education Center – a large, multipurpose space can accommodate about 100 people. It is flooded with daylight and features a teaching kitchen to host programming for nutritional education and cooking classes. Visitors can learn to grow, prepare, and understand their food. The space is available to the public for gatherings and events. A smaller meeting space is also available to the community and is accompanied by offices for farm staff, toilet rooms accessible from the exterior farm areas, and secure storage for critical farm equipment, such as honey extractors. A new 2,000 square foot greenhouse enables year-round growth and teaching. 

Having reached substantial completion in July 2025, the desire to utilize the newly expanded farm was immediate. Several educational partners, including the Rochester City School District have already held programs and events in 2025, and are quickly filling the calendar for 2026. The nonprofit has also held several events here, including a graduation ceremony for its Career Empowerment Initiative program. 

The new facility at the Community Farm has already proven itself a valuable resource to the community. It delivers improved growing capacity, food availability, opportunities for education, and offers a place to gather, engage, and share the bounty of the nonprofit’s mission.